


Hot chocolate on ice

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26915488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: Claire refuses to believe that he hasn't had hot chocolate in over 20 years. Whatever the truth might be, she is going to remady the situation.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 16





	Hot chocolate on ice

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! How are you guys doing today? I hope that everyone is feeling okay <3 I wanted to write something light and fluffy (when do I ever not want that is the real question), and since winter is almost here (it is in OH universe so I am excused :D), I decided to send C and E on some ice adventure.  
> Enjoy! <3

Heavy clouds covered the sky, draining the richness out of the colors of the outside world. The already dim day has just become even gloomier when snow began to twirl around in the air and cover the ground.

Ethan stood inside of his office, a glass window separating him from the dropping temperature of the outdoors. By the time his shift ended, a thick white blanket would be lying all over the sidewalk, grass, cars and buildings and everything would be drowning in darkness of the night, something that he’s slowly been getting used to as winter progressed.

The tranquility of a rare moment of solitude that he was having, peacefully drinking his coffee, was interrupted by an insistent sound of his phone ringing. With a sigh, he fished out the device from his coat pocket, barely taking any time to notice the ID of the person calling him.

“Ethan Ramsey.” He answered as he pressed the phone to his ear, still in the dark about the identity of the person on the other end of the line. A quiet and warm laughter immediately enlightened him in that matter.

“So formal. Okay, I’ll play along. Clarissa Herondale, at your service, sir.” She giggled, humming the tune along her last words. Ethan closed his eyes, silently praying for strength to put up with her.

“We saw ‘Hamilton’ once. _Once._ And you’re already making references to it?”

“Don’t act surprised, you knew what you were getting into when you bought those tickets.”

He smiled at the memory of their trip to New York a few weeks ago. It was his attempt at taking her out on a date, and he knew she would be excited, but not even in his wildest dreams did he expect her to be this happy. Because how could he have known that she was such a theatre enthusiast?

It was only for a weekend, and no one except Sienna knew where they were going, or that they were going together. She was the only person that Claire told about her relationship with Ethan, after asking him if that was alright. To her surprise, he recalled his conversation with the young resident when they were racing to find the cure, for which he was very much teased. But neither complained about her friend knowing where the pair was standing; it was comforting in a way, that they weren’t completely hidden, even if they did have to sneak around most of the time.

During the day they went sightseeing, most of it consisting of Claire dragging him by his hand to see small and often overlooked places, taking as many pictures as they could. She even managed to sneakily attack him with her front camera, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek as the photo was taken. Ethan was surprised for a few seconds, then smirked and looped his arm around her waist, pressing their lips together as she kept taking pictures.

Needless to say, both of those photos were now sitting in his phone gallery.

They went to see the famous Broadway show on Saturday evening, fully taking advantage of how far away from their responsibilities they were. Claire’s photos with actors were now compiled into a Pictagram post, accompanied by a quote from the show. Ethan made a cameo on one of them, though she made sure to crop him out almost entirely. Enough to raise questions from people who saw the picture but not revealing enough for anyone to recognize him.

Following the show, they enjoyed dinner in a restaurant that she always talked about, hidden from the view of the world by the dim lighting and curtains of their booth. Ethan couldn’t get enough of her, touching her any way he could and any time he could, be it holding her hand or running his fingers up and down her thigh. By the time they made it back to their hotel room, they were too starved for each other to make it to the bed, letting their passion take the best of them as he took her against the wall impatiently. Having lost only a fraction of energy, they fell onto the mattress and talked into the night, making love twice more before sleep took them.

“Is there another reason for you calling me and interrupting my moment of peace before I have to go and deal with interns again?” he asked with a sigh, taking a sip of his coffee as he waited for her answer and tried to push away the memory of the sounds she was making that night from his mind.

“Lose that frown and look out your window.” her voice was light and teasing. He followed her instructions, searching for her with his eyes. There she was, in her grey coat and with a brown scarf that might as well have been a blanket. She waved at him cheekily when she was sure he was watching.

“There’s no way you can see my face expression from that far.” He argued, being positive that he was right, for he couldn’t see hers either.

“ _That_ was an educated guess. I’m serious though, loosen up, Dr. Ramsey.” Claire revealed, brushing her hair behind her back. “I’m taking you out for scientific research.”

“Oh, is that what we call it now?” he smirked, shaking his head at her antics. She put her hand on her hip, her eyes without a doubt challenging him despite her knowing he had no way of seeing it.

“Come down and you’ll find out.”

“I have patients.”

“You mean _Naveen_ has patients. He said he’d be delighted to take over for the evening.” Claire corrected, kicking a clump of snow away from her with her right foot. Ethan felt himself freeze at the mention of his mentor.

“You told him?”

“Relax, I can see your panic from here. I didn’t have to tell him.” she moved the phone to her right hand, tucking the left one into the pocket to warm it up. “Apparently, Alan and Naveen met up some time last week and… _discussed_ their opinions about us. When he saw me today, he grinned and not so subtly suggested that he would gladly take care of your patients or mine if we wanted to… _do some research_.”

“He used the conspiracy voice, didn’t he?”

“You bet he did. _And_ he winked.” she giggled, a sound accompanied by his quiet laughter.

“Dear god, what have I gotten myself into.” He raised his eyes to the ceiling, breathing out a heavy sigh. Claire scoffed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“Hurry up and get down here already. It’s cold, you know? I could use some warming up.”

“That’s the research?” Ethan questioned as he moved away from the window, grabbing his wool coat along with his wallet his keys. “In how many ways we can warm each other up and how fast do they work?”

“I mean, if you’re that eager to get me alone, you should have just asked.” She teased, then cleared her throat, clearly affected by the idea he put inside her head. “We’re on a mission.”

He was practically running down the stairs, trying only a bit to keep up the appearances. He could always say that he was rushing to his patient or that the team had a new case, but anyone who saw his face as soon as Claire appeared in his field of vision would have little to no doubt.

Ethan Ramsey was a goner. And he knew it damn well.

She grinned wider with every step he took towards her, calling out to him when he was close enough to hear her. “You didn’t fall down the stairs in hurry to get to me, did you?”

He cleared his throat, noticing two interns in a close enough distance to hear their conversation. “Let’s go, Dr. Herondale. What’s the research you mentioned?”

They walked in relative silence, Ethan letting her guide them to the nearby park. When they were sure they were in a safe distance from the hospital, his hand found hers, squeezing her hand gently. Claire smirked.

“Every time you do that, I’m surprised.” She commented on the small gesture that he did more and more often. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

“I can be romantic when I want to, you know?”

“Oh, trust me, _I do know._ And you won’t hear any complains from me.” she smiled sweetly at him, her grip on his fingers tightening. “It’s just still… new, I guess. I keep expecting it all to end, for some reason.”

Ethan’s chest constricted at her words. He knew where her uncertainty was coming from. Having pushed her away as many times as he did, he was surprised that she still wanted to even talk to him, let alone build a relationship with him. He saw the world in a different light now, shaken to the core with how close to losing her he came, and with every day that she continued to be by his side, he cherished her more. He cherished _them_ more.

“I know what you mean. It feels surreal to… to be like _this._ I’ve never had this before.” he nodded, his steps slowing down to a leisure pace. Claire looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What do you mean? Didn’t Harper…?” she waved her hand as a way of visualizing what she meant without having to say anything. He understood and shook his head.

“Not like this. What I mean is that I never had someone that I looked forward to seeing all day… which, I am aware, makes me sound like an infatuated fool.” He hesitated with a humorous sigh, making Claire giggle. “But it’s the truth. I never had someone that made me feel like I’m feeling now, and the freedom to finally do _this_.” he waved between them. “It’s liberating. Like I can finally breathe.”

“That was some mighty confession, Ethan, I’m moved.” She stopped walking, pulling on his hand so they could stand closer together. Her hand rose up to cup his cheek. “I’m also incredibly close to tearing up, so allow me to conduct my experiment and accomplish my mission before you make me fall apart, okay?”

Their lips pressed together in a short kiss that left them wanting more and warmed them up like only few other things could. Before he could pull her closer and deepen it, she leaned away, pecking his cheek softly.

“You’ll get more of that soon, I promise.”

“Don’t make me wait too long.”

They resumed their walk, letting their hair catch many snowflakes, creating a stark contrast on his brown strands and barely showing up on her blonde ones. Claire walked around a large patch of ice, not trusting her own two feet to carry her over the slippery surface safely. Ethan just smiled and said nothing.

He was about to ask what they were even doing in the park in the first place, when they could be locked away in his apartment in warmth and comfort, when her eyes lit up suddenly. She pulled on his hand, dragging him towards the small booth not that far away from them.

“Claire, what are we doing here?” he questioned her behavior even more when she winked at him cheekily and wrapped her hands around his arm to bring him closer.

“I cannot believe that the last time you had hot chocolate was when you were a child.”

Ethan fought the urge to groan in disbelief. “You kidnap me from work so that you and I can, what, drink hot chocolate?”

“Not just any hot chocolate. The best hot chocolate in Boston. Yes, I did thorough research before I dragged you here.” She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed his nose. “Trust me, you won’t regret it.”

He let her tag him along the rest of the way, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she shook in the biting cold of the late afternoon air. Still refusing to believe that she would make them do something so simple but also so full of care at the same time. He looked at her the whole time, not finding the need to look at anything else.

“Two hot chocolates, please. And make one of them extra rich, for this one here.” She placed their order, pinching Ethan’s side playfully when she spoke about him. The barista nodded, smiling at the couple in front of him.

“You’re a lucky guy, having a girlfriend like her.” he spoke to Ethan, pointing at Claire with his head. She opened her mouth to correct him, but Ethan beat her to the punch.

“I sure am.” He muttered, looking at her with focused and intense eyes. Her own widened at his words, a bright smile lighting up her features when he pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.

A few minutes later, they both had a cup of hot chocolate in their hands, thanking quietly for it and leaving a generous tip. They walked slowly towards the exit of the park, retracing their steps to they could reach his car that was still parked outside the hospital. Ethan took a sip of his beverage, a small sound of satisfaction slipping past his lips.

“I told you it was the best hot chocolate in Boston.” Claire grinned at him, drinking some of her own. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her off the path and towards the tree. The trunk was wide enough to hide them both from the view when he took the cup from her and deposited it along with his own on the patch of ground without any snow. His hands ran up and down her sides, only to finally settle on her hips and hold her close to him as his body pushed hers up against the tree. The fabric of her coat blanketed her back, shielding her from the coarse texture of the bark.

His lips claimed hers in a hot kiss that left them both breathless, making them forget about the biting cold that surrounded them from every direction. Claire was grateful that he took care of their drinks, for she was sure the cup would have been lying on the ground by now, the contents of it spilled and staining the white blanket of snow. Her now free hands traced the lines of his shoulders, dipping beneath the fabric of his coat to feel the warmth of his skin, her own cold ones creating a stark contrast that made him flinch upon contact. A shiver ran down his spine when she ran her nails over his spine, scratching him lightly, the movements of their bodies and sounds they were making bordering on obscene.

“Take me home.” She panted, grabbing his face and pulling him to her once more, drawing a desperate groan from him. He nodded eagerly, kissing her one final time before leaning down to pick up their cups. He handed her the one she was drinking before, then grabbed her hand and pulled her down the path leading out of the park. Claire smirked teasingly at his behavior. “Someone’s eager.”

“I believe I was promised more kisses.” Ethan recalled, his steps not slowing down even one bit. She laughed at his tone.

“I said ‘later’.”

“Us getting into my car is ‘later’ enough for me.” he grinned as they continued their way towards the hospital.


End file.
